Chicago Blackhawks: Top 10 Prospects Entering 2018

3. Nicolas Beaudin, D [18 years old]

Stats:

Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) – 68 gp, 12 g, 57 a, 69 p (10 pgp, 3 g, 8 a, 11 p). 5 PPG (28 A), 1 SHG (1 A), 3 GWG, 151 SOG, 1.01 pts/g [1 PPG (2 A), 30 SOG, 1.10 pts/g].

Nicolas Beaudin was one of the best defensemen in the QMJHL this season, even at the young age of just 18 (17 at the start of the season). He was tied for second in scoring, eighth in goal scoring, first in assists, and was sixth in points per game amongst all QMJHL defensemen.

In the playoffs, Beaudin was tied for third in goal scoring, eighth in assists, and was second in points per game (first with more than one series). He got a Second Team All-Star for his efforts.

Beaudin is 5-foot-11, so the hope is that he grows a few inches. But even at his stature, he’s an assertive defensive presence who seeks to cut off the play early and get the puck quickly back up the ice.

He’s an excellent skater, one of the best in the first round in 2018, and he uses that both offensively and defensively. That skating is what allows Beaudin to be in the passing lanes defensively and then to create passing lanes in the other zone.

While he’s likely a few more years away from the NHL, so is the other defenseman the Chicago Blackhawks drafted in the first round this year. That doesn’t mean Beaudin’s ceiling is any lower. He’s got top-three potential, and only top three potential because he’s got two guys ahead of him in Chicago’s pipeline.

In a less defensively-oriented prospect pool, Beaudin could be seen as an eventual top-pairing guy. The Chicago Blackhawks will just have to settle for an excellent two-way defenseman who still plays around 20 minutes.